"Forty-seven missed calls. A scandal exploding across every screen. And only one person who came to the door."
Minase Ren has it all—the face of a generation, a top-floor penthouse, and a "national sweetheart" image built to perfection. But when a tabloid drops photos of him in a secret date with his co-star, the internet turns on him overnight. There's just one problem: the photos are fake. And no one wants to hear it.
Trapped in his apartment, drowning in hate and missed calls from the peopl
In the Night of the Scandal, With You - Night of Resolve — The Recording Data and the Promise Not to Hide
Hinata arrived at Lumiere Tower a little after nine at night.
Through the glass of the entrance, Ren could see Hinata's small figure. That fluffy light-brown hair swayed in the night breeze. His shoulders looked smaller than usual.
Ren pressed the auto-lock button.
"…Come in."
His own voice through the intercom sounded hoarse — hoarser than he'd expected.
Hinata nodded silently.
Once upstairs, Hinata lined up his shoes neatly at the entryway, then slowly raised his face. Those big, clear black eyes looked straight at Ren. There was no hesitation in them.
"Ren-san. There's something I need you to hear."
"…What is it?"
"I recorded this in Kamiya-san's office."
Hinata pulled out his smartphone. His hand was trembling, just slightly.
Ren caught his breath.
"You— don't tell me you went to that man's place alone."
"Yes."
"That was reckless."
"Ren-san. Please. Just listen."
Hinata's voice was quiet. Trembling, but quiet.
Ren closed his mouth.
Hinata played the recording.
Kamiya's voice filled the room.
*"Cut ties with Ren, and I'll make it all go away."*
That calm, endlessly gentle voice.
*"Your past, your relationship — I'll keep them tucked away in my heart."*
Ren's fingers dug hard into his knees.
*"You're not worthy of Ren."*
The voice went on.
*"A romance between a manager and a talent — it's a disgrace to this industry."*
The air in the room froze.
Ren couldn't move.
*"Your father's debts, the Kagerou Finance business — all of it will be dragged into the light."*
Kamiya's voice was soft as a lullaby.
*"You're a smart boy. I trust you understand."*
The recording ended.
Silence.
Ren couldn't lift his head.
Hinata had done this.
Gone to Kamiya's office alone.
Stood face to face with that smiling man.
His own past — all of it.
"…Why?"
His voice shook.
"Why would you go that far?"
"Because I want to protect you, Ren-san."
Hinata was looking straight at him.
"I don't care if my past comes out. I want to protect you."
Deep in Ren's chest, something collapsed with a sound.
"Hinata…"
"If it means you can't smile anymore, then I don't care what I lose."
Hinata's voice wasn't trembling.
"If you can act again, Ren-san — that's all I need."
Ren covered his face.
Tears spilled through the gaps between his fingers.
"…You idiot."
His voice was a soaked, mangled mess.
"I want to protect you too, you know."
"Ren-san."
"If you're gone, what am I supposed to do?"
Ren lifted his head.
Face a wreck of tears, he looked at Hinata.
"Without you, I'm nothing."
"…Me too."
Tears slid quietly from Hinata's eyes.
"Without you, Ren-san, I don't know what the point of living is."
At the same moment, they reached out.
Their fingers touched.
Hinata's hand was cold as ice.
Ren wrapped both his hands around it.
"…I'll warm you up."
"Ren-san."
"I will never let you go."
Ren's voice was low and strong.
"I'll protect you. Your past, all of it — I'll take it all on."
"Ren-san…"
Hinata buried his face in Ren's chest.
His small body was shaking.
Ren held him tight.
Never letting go.
Never.
──
The next day.
Ren and Hinata booked the Grand Hall Oak, a press conference venue in the basement of a hotel in Chiyoda.
Capacity: three hundred. In the industry, they said, "If it's at the Oak, it's serious business" — the go-to hall for press conferences.
"Three days from now, here, we tell them everything."
That was what Ren told the hotel staff.
Beside him, Hinata nodded quietly.
"My past too. I'll tell them all of it."
"Hinata."
"I won't let you carry it alone. I'll fight too — right beside you."
Ren took Hinata's hand.
People were watching.
But no more hiding.
He was done hiding.
──
That night.
The two of them sat in Le Poisson, a café tucked down a back alley in Shibuya.
A tiny hidden spot — eighteen seats. The owner, Ayase, was a former stage actor and a fan of Ren's. A man who had quietly, all this time, looked the other way about their secret meetings.
"Leading man's brunch set, coming up."
Ayase set the plates down over the counter.
"…Thank you."
"Ren-kun. Your face is clearing up."
Ayase smiled softly.
"Before, you had the eyes of a dead fish."
"…Rude."
Ren gave a wry smile.
"Fufu. But it's true. Today, your eyes are alive."
Ayase looked at Hinata.
"Guess that's thanks to Tachibana-san."
"I didn't do anything."
Hinata ducked his head, embarrassed.
"Really, nothing."
"You did. Because you're here, Ren-kun made it this far."
Wiping a coffee cup, Ayase spoke quietly.
"Ren-kun. Tachibana-san. Tomorrow's conference — I'll be watching from in front of the TV. On my knees, formally."
"Please don't sit formally on your knees."
"Fufu. Then at least I'll sit up straight."
With that, Ayase retreated to the back of the counter.
Ren and Hinata exchanged a look.
"…Good place."
"Yes. I like it here."
"So do I."
Under the table, Ren took Hinata's hand.
Hinata looked a little surprised — but squeezed back right away.
──
The next day.
Ren came to Aozora Tower.
To lay the groundwork for the conference.
To formally inform the agency of the plan.
No more hiding.
He'd go straight through the front.
He stepped off the elevator and headed for the executive floor on the eighth.
That was when it happened.
Click.
A small shutter sound.
Ren turned around.
Someone stood at the corner of the hallway.
A man in a black suit. One of Kamiya's subordinates.
The man held a smartphone, watching Ren.
"…What the hell are you doing?"
The man didn't answer.
He just smiled thinly and walked away.
A cold chill ran down Ren's spine.
*(He got me.)*
*(Kamiya knows about the conference.)*
Ren clenched his fist.
But there was no turning back now.
──
At the same time.
Kamiya's mansion in Setagaya.
Kamiya sat deep in a leather chair in his study.
A wine glass in his hand.
His phone rang.
"Hello."
*"Kamiya-san. It seems Ren is holding a press conference."*
A report from a subordinate.
"Oh? The Grand Hall Oak."
Kamiya swirled his wine glass.
"So Ren-kun has finally made up his mind."
Kamiya smiled brightly.
"But it's too late."
He hung up and dialed another number.
After a few rings, the other end picked up.
"Iwatsuki-kun. It's me."
The man on the line: Iwatsuki Makoto, editor-in-chief of Scoop Japan.
"The matter we discussed — how's it coming along?"
Kamiya's voice was gentle.
"At the conference, report Ren-kun's assault scandal as a follow-up."
Kamiya took a sip of wine.
"The photos are ready. That incident at the editorial office. Use them well."
Kamiya's narrow eyes curved into a thin smile.
"Also, get President Narumi Reiko on board. Have her push through Ren's contract termination."
Kamiya looked out the window.
Tokyo's nightscape glittered.
"Whatever he says at the conference, if the termination goes through first, it means nothing."
Kamiya held his wine glass up to the moon.
The deep crimson liquid glowed eerily through the moonlight.
"Minase Ren… you're finished."
──
That night.
Hinata's phone buzzed.
A call from a blocked number.
Hinata was on his way home from Ren's apartment.
Shibuya at night. He stopped in the middle of the crowd.
"…Hello?"
*"Long time no see, Tachibana."*
A low, rasping voice.
Sakurabara.
Former member of Kagerou Finance.
The only man who knew Hinata's past.
"…What do you want?"
Hinata's voice didn't waver.
*"Call off the conference."*
Sakurabara's voice slithered, even through the phone.
*"If you don't, I'll expose everything. Your father's debts, what you did in the underworld — all of it goes to the weeklies."*
Hinata drew a breath.
*"Cut Ren loose. Do that, and your secrets stay buried in the dark."*
Sakurabara's voice was sweet, kind.
*"You're not worthy of Ren. A romance between a manager and a talent — it's a disgrace to the industry."*
The same words as Kamiya.
Hinata smiled quietly.
"…Do as you like."
*"What?"*
"Expose my past if you want."
Hinata's voice was clear.
"I'm not running anymore."
*"Tachibana… are you insane?"*
"I will protect Ren-san. No matter what."
Hinata looked up at the sky.
In Tokyo's sky, the stars were almost invisible.
But when he pictured Ren's face, something deep in his chest grew warm.
"My feelings — you can't break them."
*"…You'll regret this."*
"I've already done my regretting."
Hinata quietly ended the call.
His hand was shaking.
But his feet would not stop.
──
The night before the conference.
Ren invited Hinata to his apartment at Lumiere Tower.
The top floor. The thirty-third.
Outside the window, Tokyo Tower glowed orange.
"Tomorrow, it all ends."
Ren stood with a hand against the window, gazing at the night view.
"Let's end it."
Hinata stood beside him.
"Ren-san. I'm nervous."
Hinata's voice trembled, small.
"Look at my hands."
Hinata held out both hands.
His fingertips were trembling faintly.
Ren wrapped both hands around them.
"So am I."
"Even you get nervous, Ren-san?"
"Of course I do. I'm human."
Ren smiled a little.
"But as long as I'm with you, I'll be fine."
"Me too."
Hinata squeezed Ren's hands tight.
"Ren-san. There's something I want to say."
"What is it?"
"I love you, Ren-san."
Hinata looked straight into Ren's eyes.
"This is the first time I've really put it into words."
Ren's eyes widened in surprise.
"I love you, Ren-san. More than anyone, more than anything."
Hinata's voice was trembling.
But he didn't look away.
"If it means you'll smile, I can do anything."
"Hinata."
"Watching you act, Ren-san — it's my favorite thing in the whole world."
Tears spilled from Hinata's eyes.
"So tomorrow, let's take it all back."
Ren pulled Hinata into his arms.
Tight. Tight.
"…Me too."
Ren's voice was wet with tears.
"I love you too."
"Ren-san."
"Hinata."
The two of them held each other quietly.
Their heartbeats overlapped.
Outside the window, Tokyo Tower shone in silence.
──
How long had they stayed like that?
Ren's phone buzzed.
Still holding Hinata, Ren picked it up.
Looking at the screen, his fingers stopped.
"…What the hell is this?"
"Ren-san?"
Ren showed him the phone.
An email was displayed.
From: Aozora Entertainment Legal Department.
Subject: *Notice of Contract Termination.*
"Contract… termination?"
The blood drained from Hinata's face.
Ren opened the email.
It read:
*"Due to violation of company regulations (private relationship between talent and manager) and conduct damaging to credibility, your exclusive contract is hereby terminated as of tomorrow."*
Ren stared at the screen in silence.
Then Hinata's phone buzzed too.
Hinata looked at the screen.
"…I got one too."
From: Aozora Entertainment Human Resources.
Subject: *Notice of Pending Disciplinary Dismissal.*
"Disciplinary… dismissal?"
Hinata's voice shook.
The two of them looked at each other.
Kamiya's sabotage had struck on the eve of the conference.
Silence.
A heavy silence.
Ren tossed his phone onto the sofa.
"…Ha."
A dry laugh escaped him.
"Haha."
"Ren-san."
"Hahahaha!"
Ren laughed out loud.
"He got us. Completely."
"Ren-san, don't laugh."
"What else am I supposed to do but laugh?"
Laughing, Ren wiped his tears.
"Contract terminated the day before the conference. You get disciplinary dismissal. Now we've got nothing left to lose."
"…Yes."
"Nothing left to lose now."
Ren looked at Hinata.
His eyes were laughing.
But behind them, something was burning.
"Hinata."
"Yes."
"Tomorrow, let's spill it all."
"…Yes."
Hinata nodded.
"Tomorrow, let's spill everything."
Hinata's voice was trembling.
But his eyes were fixed straight on Ren.
"Ren-san. As long as I'm with you, I'm not afraid of anything."
"Me neither."
Ren took Hinata's hand.
"As long as I'm with you, I'm not afraid of anything either."
The two of them embraced once more.
Outside the window, Tokyo Tower quietly went dark.
Midnight arrived.
Tomorrow w
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